Scholarships to study in Canada and Quebec: PBEEE, exemptions, Mastercard, Pearson

Information checked on 2 November 2026.

Scholarships to study in Canada and Quebec from Africa are rare if you are looking for full funding. What really changes the bill for a French-speaking African student are exemptions from supplementary tuition fees: those under Quebec's agreements with some twenty African countries, and those of universities (automatic at the Université de Montréal, for doctorates at Laval). Real scholarships exist mainly in research (Quebec's PBEEE), with the Mastercard Foundation (McGill, Toronto) and, at bachelor's level, with two highly selective programmes (Lester B. Pearson, UBC). This guide compares these forms of support for the 2027 intake, then sets out the proof of funds required for the study permit.

Scholarships to study in Canada, in one table

Amounts are in Canadian dollars. The scholarship pages are in French.

Quebec: exemption from supplementary fees under the agreements

An international student pays higher fees in Quebec. Quebec has signed mobility agreements with some forty countries and one international organisation: their nationals can pay the same fees as a Quebec student, within a number of places set each year per country. The maximum duration is 3 years (90 credits) or 4 years (120 credits) for a bachelor's, 2 years for a master's and 3 years for a doctorate.

The number of exemptions published by the Ministry of Higher Education shows where the places for Africa are:

The Agence universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) also has 20 exemptions, almost all for doctorates. Places at English-language universities make up at most 20% of the total.

The procedure never goes directly through the ministry: an application sent to it is not examined. You contact the exemptions officer for your country (official list on Québec.ca), apply for admission to a Quebec university, then send the officer the admission letter and the signed form. The officer recommends you, and the ministry confirms. You must be enrolled full-time and hold a study permit and a Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ).

The PBEEE: Quebec's research scholarship

The Programme de bourses d'excellence pour étudiants étrangers (PBEEE), run by the Fonds de recherche du Québec, funds thesis master's, doctorates, postdoctorates and short internships.

The scholar is also exempt from the higher international fees and covered by Quebec health insurance (RAMQ) throughout the scholarship. The trap is the calendar: you do not apply alone. You first need a professor willing to supervise you, then the university's pre-selection, which recommends 16 candidates at most. For 2027-2028, universities had to send their pre-selections on 27 October 2026, and pre-selected candidates file with the FRQ by 2 December 2026 at 4 p.m. (Eastern Time). The next competition launches in May 2027: contact a research supervisor as early as spring.

University exemptions: Montréal and Laval

Université de Montréal. Every admitted international student (except French and French-speaking Belgian students, who have their own scheme) is assessed automatically for an exemption bursary, with no application. Amounts for 2026-2027: at bachelor's level, 14,436 dollars a year (tier A) or 6,879.60 dollars (tier B), depending on the academic record; for a master's, 15,916.05 dollars a year with a thesis or 11,334.60 dollars without; for a doctorate, 24,067.80 dollars a year. It cannot be combined with another exemption or external funding from an organisation.

Université Laval. Full-time international doctoral students can pay the same fees as a Quebecer by filling in the form of the Bureau des bourses et de l'aide financière. Deadlines: 31 December for the autumn term, 30 April for winter, 31 August for summer. If your country has an agreement with Quebec, follow the government procedure and copy the office.

Mastercard Foundation: McGill and Toronto

The Mastercard Foundation funds full master's degrees in Canada for young Africans.

• McGill (Montréal). You must be a citizen of an African country and live there, be 35 or under, never have enrolled in a master's, and aim for a programme on the list: sustainable agriculture, bioresource engineering, biostatistics, biotechnology, food science, nutrition, public health, public policy. Dual nationals and permanent residents or refugees in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom or the European Union are excluded. Recruitment for autumn 2027 is closed; the next is expected in spring 2027.
• Toronto. The programme prepares for health careers in Africa. Recruitment targets the 2028-2029 year, and the university will publish criteria and calendar in May 2027.

Our guide to the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program presents the other partner universities, mostly in Africa.

At bachelor's level: Lester B. Pearson and UBC

Two undergraduate scholarships are open to African secondary school pupils, but neither can be requested alone: you must be nominated by your school.

Lester B. Pearson (University of Toronto). About 37 winners a year. The scholarship covers tuition, books, incidental fees and residence for four years. For a September 2027 start, the nomination was due on 9 October 2026, the admission application on 16 October, and the scholarship application closes on 6 November 2026.

UBC International Scholars (Vancouver). For outstanding pupils who show significant financial need, including the Karen McKellin International Leader of Tomorrow Award; the amount is not published. A school nominates at most two pupils for Vancouver. Application before 15 November 2026, documents and English level before 31 January 2027.

For other pupils, our article on scholarships after the baccalaureate lists what exists elsewhere.

Study permit: the proof of funds to plan for

A scholarship does not exempt you from the study permit. You must prove funds to live on, on top of tuition and transport.

Outside Quebec you also need a provincial or territorial attestation letter (PAL/TAL), usually obtained after accepting the offer and paying part of the fees. In Quebec, the CAQ replaces it. A scholarship, a student loan, a guaranteed investment certificate from a Canadian institution or six months of bank statements are among the accepted proofs. A fee exemption reduces the bill but proves no income. To compare this budget with other destinations, see the cost of a year of study by country.

Calendar for the 2027 intake

Preparing your departure with Compatri

The study in Canada page (in French) of the scholarship directory brings these forms of support together with their sources. Subscribe to the scholarship alerts (in French) to know when McGill or the PBEEE reopen, and open application tracking (in French) from the scholarship page: it breaks the file into steps and reminds you before each confirmed deadline.

In Montréal, the African diaspora is already on Compatri: join your country's community before leaving, as our guide joining your community before you leave explains. A diaspora mentor living in Canada can review your project. For the file documents, see IELTS, TOEFL or Duolingo and the motivation letter for a scholarship. To compare with France, Belgium and the rest of the world, read our guide to fully funded scholarships for African students.

Compatri awards no scholarship and does not replace IRCC or the Government of Quebec: only their websites are authoritative.

Sources

• Québec.ca: exemption from supplementary tuition fees (agreements)
• Ministry of Higher Education: signatory countries and number of exemptions (PDF)
• Fonds de recherche du Québec: PBEEE 2027-2028
• Université de Montréal: exemption bursary
• Université Laval: tuition fees for international students
• McGill: Mastercard Foundation Scholars, application
• McGill: Mastercard Foundation Scholars, eligibility
• University of Toronto: Mastercard Foundation Scholars
• University of Toronto: Lester B. Pearson scholarship
• UBC: International Scholars
• IRCC: proof of financial support for the study permit
• IRCC: study permit documents (PAL/TAL, CAQ)
• Government of Quebec: amendments to the immigration regulation, minimum amount to study